1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a kit assembly and method of performing a cosmetic treatment on the nails of a person preferably, but not exclusively, in the style of a french manicure or pedicure, through the utilization of a shaping implement structured to apply a shaping solution to predetermined portions of the nail. A demarcation segment in the form of a xe2x80x9cperfect curvexe2x80x9d is thereby created, which visually segregates the tip and base portions of the nail and which characterizes the style of the french manicure or pedicure.
2. Description of the Related Art
The cosmetic treatment of women""s nails, performed in order to enhance their aesthetic appearance, has been known and practiced in various societies throughout the world for hundreds of years. Typically, known cosmetic nail treatments generally include the application of one or more color polishes to the nail. Decorative additions included in known cosmetic treatments include additional xe2x80x9cart workxe2x80x9d such as painting small objects on the nails or, even more recently, applying decorative decals to the nail in order to further enhance their appearance. The cosmetic treatment of nails typically includes a wide variety of different styles or designs, depending upon the current, preferred appearance of a women""s nails. However, one cosmetic style which has endured for over fifty years is known as the xe2x80x9cfrenchxe2x80x9d manicure or pedicure style. This style may be generally characterized as applying a substantially white or off-white polish in a uniform manner to the tip of the nail only and applying a polish of visually distinguishable color which may be translucent, to the remainder or base portion of the nail. One characteristic, commonly recognized as existing in all french manicures or pedicures is the creation of a uniform boundary which visually distinguishes the tip and base portions of the nail. This visual boundary is important in recognizing or identifying the french manicure or pedicure style and is further characterized by having a substantially curvilinear configuration. Further, the curved visual boundary extends along and substantially corresponds to the natural transverse curvature or contour of the nail.
Other styles of cosmetic nail treatment are generally similar but clearly distinguishable from the french manicure. Such similar styles include an xe2x80x9cAmericanxe2x80x9d style comprising a white or off-white tip and the application of one of a variety of different color nail polishes to the base of the nail. The distinguishing features between the french manicure and the American manicure are known to professional personnel as well as the large number of women who take great pride in properly caring for their fingernails and who prefer the french manicure or American manicure style. A characteristic common to both the french manicure and the American manicure, as well as other similar styles of cosmetic nail treatment, is the precise definition of the aforementioned visual boundary or demarcation, which exists between the tip of the nail and the base of the nail. The creation of this distinguishing characteristic, while a necessary visual component of the preferred french manicure style, is recognized as being somewhat difficult to create, even by practiced professionals specializing in cosmetic nail treatment.
The popularity of the french manicure or pedicure style has led to a number of prior art attempts to develop a technique and/or instrumentation which allows both cosmetic nail professionals as well as the average person, to quickly and easily perform a french manicure treatment. Specifically including the precise forming of the identifying and characteristic demarcation or boundary between the tip and base portions of the nail. By way of example, such known or prior attempts include the use of one or more shield structures dimensioned and configured to fit over a women""s finger nails in a manner which allows the exposure of a tip of the nail and supposedly facilitates the formation of the demarcation boundary between the tip and base portions. Fingernail or toenail shields of this type exist in a variety of different structures, shapes, forms, etc. Regardless of their individual structures, all are primarily designed to segregate the outermost tip portion of the nail in a manner which initially creates a false demarcation line about which a white or off-white polish can be applied. The intended purpose of such structures is to precisely form the intended curved boundary between the tip and base portion of the nail.
Other attempts to perform a french manicure style nail treatment include the application of a tape or like adhesive backed, flexible material to the nail in a manner which also exposes the tip of the nail and attempts to shield the base portion from the application of the white or off-white polish. The tape or like material is intended to be applied in a manner which at least partially defines the intended curved configuration of the demarcation line. Other examples of known attempts to facilitate the performance of a french style manicure or pedicure include the mounting or attachment of decals in the form of false nail tips. Typically, such structures have been pre-colored in the appropriate shade to present the appearance of a french manicure type of cosmetic treatment.
While the above described attempts to facilitate the performance of preferred cosmetic treatments to the nail may, at least to some extent, enhance the ability of the average person to treat their own nails, it is generally accepted that such known techniques suffer from a plurality of problems or disadvantages. In addition, they do not effectively provide a method which assures the quick and easy performance of all aspects of an intended cosmetic treatment such as, but not limited to, the french manicure style. Such disadvantages include difficulty in fitting or applying the various shield structures to nails of various sizes and configurations. Also attachment of such structures has been found to be difficult and imprecise resulting in an unacceptable appearance of the visual demarcation boundary which, as set forth above, characterizes a french manicure style of cosmetic treatment. Also known techniques and implements of the type described above are time consuming based, at least in part, on required delays needed to allow certain painted or polished portions of the fingernail or toenail to dry before the shield type implements, tapes, decals, etc. can be removed and other portions of the nail can be treated.
Therefore, it is recognized that there is a significant and long existing need for a product and an attendant technique or method which facilitates the cosmetic treatment of person""s nails, particularly when it is desired to perform a french style manicure or pedicure. Further, such an improved product, in at least one embodiment be made available as a kit assembly to better facilitate performance of the attendant method. Also, the method of the present invention should provide for the accurate but simple and quick formation of the required demarcation segment or curved line which serves to visually segregate the tip and base portions of the nail and which, at least to some extent, identify the french manicure style of cosmetic treatment. Further, such an improved kit assembly and method should be capable of being quickly and easily utilized by professionals and non-professionals alike, thereby allowing the average person to perform a french manicure style of cosmetic treatment on ones own nail.
The present invention is directed towards a kit assembly and a method or technique for performing a cosmetic treatment on either the fingernails or toenails of a person. More specifically, kit assembly and attendant method of the present invention is intended to facilitate the performance of a french style manicure or pedicure but, as will described in greater detailed hereinafter, is also capable of performing cosmetic nail treatments representative of a number of different styles in addition to the french manicure style. The kit assembly of the present invention comprises a plurality of different compositions, preferably supplied in solution form. Each of the solutions are provided in separate containers and, dependent upon their intended purpose, the containers for each of the plurality of solutions may also include an individual applicator. The individual applicators may be in the form of a brush or like implement of the type generally known in the art and commonly used to apply polish to fingernails or toenails.
The present invention also contemplates a number of different kit assemblies which may differ from one another by providing one or more polishes of different colors. For example, in that each of the various kit assemblies of the present invention are generally intended to provide a french manicure style of cosmetic treatment, the plurality of different solutions include at least a white or substantially off-white first color polish. Each of the plurality of kit assemblies contemplated in the present invention should also include at least a second color polish, differing from the white or off-white first color polish but being complementary thereto so as to accomplish the aforementioned french style manicure or pedicure. The second color polish may or may not be translucent and, by way of example only, may include a variety of different colors such as sheer pink, sheer beige, twilight white, twilight gold, twilight silver, etc. Each of these colors may be primarily designed for, but are not limited to use during specific events or times. For example, the pink and beige colors may be more applicable for every day use. The twilight white may be most appropriate for use during the twilight or evening hours or for special occasions such as weddings, graduations, baptisms, etc. The gold and/or silver colors may be the most decorative colors and accordingly would perhaps be more appropriate for wear during holidays such as Christmas, New years, birthdays, etc. Naturally, the second color polish, being clearly distinguishable from the white or off-white first color polish, could vary greatly in that a variety of different colors could be supplied. Also it is emphasized that the kit assembly of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the inclusion of a white or off-white first color polish in combination with only one of a plurality of second color polishes of the type set forth above. To the contrary additional versatility may be incorporated in anyone of the kit assemblies by including numerous variations of the white or off-white first color polish with a plurality of other color polishes, rather than just one.
Another feature of the kit assembly of the present invention, as well as the method and technique of performing a preferred cosmetic nail treatment, is the inclusion of a shaping solution and a shaping implement. As set forth above, an important and readily identifiable characteristic of a french style manicure or pedicure is the formation of a demarcation segment on the nail being treated. The demarcation segment is disposed and configured to visually distinguish different portions of the nail being treated. More specifically, and as set forth above, the french style manicure or pedicure is characterized by tip of the nail being painted or polished with the aforementioned white or off-white color or an acceptable variation thereof. The base of the nail should therefore be clearly segregated from the tip along a visually distinguishable boundary defined by the aforementioned demarcation segment. In addition this demarcation segment should most preferably be in the form of a xe2x80x9cperfect curvexe2x80x9d more realistically defined by the demarcation segment having a curvilinear configuration which substantially corresponds to at least a portion of the natural, transverse curve or contour of the nail. As such, the curvilinear line defining the demarcation segment is disposed in contiguous relation with both the tip and the base portion of the nail and thereby serves as the aforementioned visual boundary between these two intentionally distinguishable portions of the nail.
In order to facilitate the rapid, efficient and accurate forming of the demarcation segment, a shaping solution is applied to the base portion of the nail subsequent to the painting or polishing of the tip portion thereof. The tip portion has the white or off-white first color polish applied in a somewhat conventional fashion using an applicator brush typically included with the container in which the first color polish is supplied. Subsequently, a specifically structured shaping implement is utilized to apply the shaping solution. The shaping implement preferably comprises a somewhat elongated brush having a distal end in the form of a brush head. The brush head comprises a plurality of bristles which are at least partially submerged or placed in contact with the shaping solution. The shaping solution is then applied to the base portion of the nail in a manner such that only the outermost extremity of the collective array of bristles defines or forms the curvilinear demarcation segment. More specifically, the demarcation segment is formed by operatively moving or positioning the brush head through a xe2x80x9cwiping actionxe2x80x9d which may be generally described as a reciprocal, side to side movement somewhat similar to the wiping action provided by a wind shield wiper on a conventional motor vehicle. In performing the side to side movement of the wiping action, the outermost extremities of the collective array of bristles passes along and thereby define the curvilinear demarcation segment. The shaping solution is formulated to remove any excess first color polish (white, off-white or preferred variation thereof) existing beyond the curvilinear demarcation segment on the base portion of the nail. Selective positioning and precise configuring of the preferred demarcation segment is thereby quickly, efficiently and accurately established. The shaping solution may be formulated as a solvent or more specifically an air drying solvent such that once applied in the manner set forth above, it quickly dries on the nail thereby allowing the remainder of the cosmetic treatment to proceed rapidly.
Additional steps in the preferred method of forming the french style manicure or pedicure include the subsequent polishing of the entire nail with the at least one second color polish. The preferred method of the present invention may also include the application of a protective top coat to the entire nail. The protective top coat is included as one of the aforementioned compositions provided in at least one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. The top coat is formulated to physically protect and resist damage to the first and second color polishes and may also facilitate drying or setting of the polished nail surface. Further, the top coat may be clear, colorless and is specifically structured to provide a lustrous sheen to the nail surface.
Accordingly, it should be readily apparent that the kit assembly and the attendant method for applying the various compositions or solutions to the nail being treated, overcome many if not all of the problems and disadvantages existing with known or prior art products or techniques. Importantly, the kit assembly and method of the present invention allows for the average person, having no previous experience to quickly, easily and accurately perform a cosmetic treatment preferably, but not necessarily, in the french style without requiring the services of a professional manicurist.